Alex knew the truth now. His days were numbered. Elsa had told him bluntly after reviewing his latest reports:
"Alex… I've tried everything. Medicines, therapies, surgery. The tumor is not stopping. There's no chance of full recovery."
The words echoed in his skull like thunder. But instead of thinking of himself, his first thought was of Luna.
If I die… she'll break all over again. She just healed after Nick. I can't let her go through that twice.
That night, Alex sat with Elsa in her office. His face was pale, but his eyes burned with determination.
"Elsa," he whispered, "help me… please."
She frowned. "With what?"
"With protecting Luna." His voice shook. "She has to hate me before I go. If she thinks I cheated on her, she'll walk away. She'll cry, she'll be angry—but she won't be broken when I die."
Elsa froze. "Alex… that's cruel."
"It's necessary," he insisted, gripping her hand. "Please. Pretend to be my girlfriend. Make it look like I betrayed Luna."
Elsa's heart ached. She didn't want to deceive Luna—sweet, innocent Luna who trusted so deeply. But looking at Alex's desperate eyes, she nodded slowly.
"…Alright. If this is what you want. I'll help you."
The Fake Affair
The very next week, Alex and Elsa started the act. They were "seen together" at cafés, Elsa walked beside him leaving the hospital, sometimes she even picked up his calls in front of Luna.
Rumors spread quickly. Nick even once overheard someone whisper, "Isn't that Alex with his doctor? They look… close."
When Luna heard, her friends tried to warn her.
"Luna, maybe Alex isn't faithful."
But Luna only smiled faintly. "No. He loves me. I trust him."
Her blind faith in Alex was unshakable.
The Hidden Pain
Behind closed doors, Alex was falling apart. The tumor gave him splitting headaches; he often collapsed in Elsa's clinic. Elsa tried everything—changing doses, arranging therapies, even calling international specialists—but every report came back the same.
"No hope," they all said.
Elsa would sit with Alex at night after treatments, sometimes holding his hand just to give him courage. "I'll keep fighting for you," she whispered. "Even if science says no, I won't stop trying."
But both of them knew… death's shadow was already near.
Luna's Endless Faith
Despite Alex's cold behavior and the fake rumors, Luna's heart never wavered. She would wait for him late at night, send him messages he often ignored, and when he finally replied with a single cold line, she would smile softly and say to herself:
He's busy. He still loves me. I know he does.
When her friends or even Nick told her, "Maybe he's moved on," Luna would shake her head.
"No. My Alex can't betray me. I believe in him."
And that was the one truth Alex could never change.
Even with all the lies, all the pretending, Luna's love remained.